Famed drummer Sol Amarfio, one of the founding members of Osibisa, has passed away, according to a post shared by sports journalist, Yaw Ofosu in a post uploaded on Twitter on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
“Sol Amarfio. Master drummer, songwriter, composer and a member of the legendary Osibisa band! Rest in peace,” he tweeted.
Amarfio, who was born in 1938 in Asere, Accra, played with the Rhythm Aces, Star Gazers, and Comets bands in Ghana before travelling to England via Liberia, Spain, and France in 1961.
Before Osibisa was founded in 1969, he collaborated with other Ghanaian artists stationed in London, including George Lee and Willie Cheetham, for performances throughout Europe and North Africa.
The Ghanaian-British Afro-Rock group Osibisa was established in London in the late 1960s by four musicians from the West African diaspora and three from the Caribbean who lived in London.
Along with such contemporaries as Assagai, Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, Demon Fuzz, Black Velvet, and Noir, Osibisa were the most popular and long-lasting of the African-heritage bands in London.
They played an important role in the development of world music and Afro-Rock as a commercially viable genre. The original band, known as the Beautiful Seven, appeared on the first three studio albums.
Sol Amarfio. Master drummer, songwriter, composer and a member of the legendary Osibisa band!
Rest in peace 💔 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/seOHpSgJtR
— Yaw (@theyawofosu) December 14, 2022